Typical commercial reproduction apparatus include electrostatographic process copier/duplicators or printers, inkjet printers, and thermal printers. With such reproduction apparatus, pigmented marking particles, ink, or dye material (hereinafter referred to commonly as marking or toner particles) are utilized to develop an electrostatic image, of information to be reproduced, on a dielectric member for transfer to a receiver member, or directly onto a receiver member. The receiver member bearing the marking particle image is transported through a fuser device where the image is fixed (fused) to the receiver member, for example, by heat and pressure to form a permanent reproduction thereon.
Well known electrostatic developer apparatus for commercial reproduction apparatus may include a development station having a housing reservoir in which developer material, including pigmented marking particles, is located. A mechanism, such as a magnetic brush for example, receives developer material from the housing reservoir and transports such material to a position where part of such material is applied to an electrostatic image formed on the surface of the dielectric member to develop such image (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,132, issued Dec. 12, 19898, in the names of Joseph et al).
In setting up the development station for the reproduction apparatus, in order to assure proper development of electrostatic images on the dielectric member, it is necessary to accurately locate the spacing of the development station relative to plane of the dielectric member, within a specified tolerance range, over the zone of operative interrelation between the dielectric member and the development station. Typically the development station is mounted on a support that must be at a specified distance from the core which supports the dielectric member for movement about a closed loop path in operative relation with electrographic process stations. As the desired tolerance range is smaller than that which is generally achievable by normal mechanical operations, due in part to the parts tolerance stack up in the reproduction apparatus, it has been found that there is a need for a critical-to-function factory adjustment to properly set up the spacing of the dielectric member to the development station. Such adjustment is necessary in order to provide for proper operational setup, and must be made in such a way as to minimize the possibility of being inadvertently altered at some subsequent time, such as during shipping.
One current process for factory adjustment of the development station location relative to the dielectric member core involves drilling holes through a portion of the frame of the reproduction apparatus, into which locating pins are installed for mounting development station support rails. The holes are located by use of a drill jig that is adjusted to the appropriate distance from a reference on the dielectric member support core. However, with this process, it is very difficult to repair a hole that has been drilled in the wrong location. Such hole must be welded and then redrilled. Furthermore, metal chips from the drilling operation contaminate the inside of the reproduction apparatus and can lead to damage of the dielectric member.